These Apps Have Saved My Life (well, maybe not literally.)

It’s pretty rare that something comes into your life that is life altering. These three Apps have done that for me: Instacart, Postmates and Prime Now.

Time and efficiency are essential in my job, and anything that helps me with both, are golden! These apps offer a service that delivers stuff to my clients and me. In a town where a 20 min drive turns into an hour, and you need to get things done as quickly as possible, and these apps have been life-saving for me.

Instacart

Istacart is fast delivery service for groceries, sometimes within an hour. It depends on what stores are close to you, for me, the options are: Whole Foods, Costco, Gelson’s, Smart and Final, Erewhon and Ralphs. They will list the stores that will charge you the same in-stores prices (most do.) It’s super easy to shop; you can type in a search of what you want or shop by department/category. This is worth it if you at least have a bag of groceries to buy. Depending on availability cost for delivery is $8-$12. I’ve used when a client was having a dinner party and did not have time to shop. A good time to use: When you’re just too busy to spend an hour shopping, and this app will let you do it all in 10 minutes.

Postmates

If you put Postmates to work, they can be your personal “Runner.” Postmates started as a food delivery service, but it can be much more if you get creative! Don’t get me wrong, it’s still great when you have a craving for Sprinkles. I’ve used them to pick up scripts from FedEx/Kinko’s (that I had emailed to them and had them print out and bind,) a box of Lette Macarons for a gift, McDonalds for a crew of movers. They charge a % of your total cost + a small delivery fee. A good time to use: when your Significant Other is home sick, and you can send a quart of Chicken Matzo Ball soup from Jerry’s Deli or their favorite comfort food.

Prime Now

Not much to explain here, it’s Amazon, but faster! Delivery in two hours with no delivery fee, you just need to be a Prime Member. You don’t get ALL of Amazon, but you still have a lot of choices. I’ve bought items like office chairs, oil pastels, sunscreen and board games. A good time to use: When you’ve run out of ink for your printer and don’t have time shop.